Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE CPH2908

 
TITLE Research Approaches in Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine Use

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

 
DESCRIPTION Students will be taught the various research tools and approaches that are used within the areas of clinical pharmacology research. These areas include Phase I, II and III clinical trials as well as post-marketing research leading to e.g. drug repurposing, comparative studies in potency, efficacy and safety, clinical pharmacokinetics and clinical pharmacodynamics. Approaches to research topics in general medicine use, and knowledge about medicines using both quantitative and qualitative aspects will also be discussed.

Study-unit Aims:

The aim of this study-unit is to equip students with tools which will enable them to rationalize the principles underlying research in clinical pharmacology and medicine use, and participate in the execution of such research.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Explain various approaches used in clinical pharmacology research, including types of blinding, control experiments, minimization of bias, relevance to specific populations etc.;
- Identify the relative appropriateness of quantitative and qualitative research approaches to address specific research questions;
- Discuss the strengths and limitations of various research approaches;
- Describe basic ethical procedures to be followed in such studies.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Design studies to research the correct use of medicines, and knowledge of medicines, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches;
- Apply the use of validity, reliability and piloting to such studies, where appropriate;
- Suitably analyze basic data from such studies, in order to elicit meaningful conclusions.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main text:

- Academic journal articles which will be provided to the students directly.

Journals:

- Molecular pharmacology. Published by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
- British Journal of Pharmacology. Published by the British Pharmacological Society.
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Published by the British Pharmacological Society.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Maya Injez Camilleri Sacco
Maria A. Cordina (Co-ord.)
Sandra Mifsud Bonnici
Janet Mifsud
Vanessa Petroni
Charles Scerri
Josette Sciberras
Patricia Vella Bonanno

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit